Locomotive headlight



Aug. 4, 1931. e. F. MILLER LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT Filed Nov. 11. 1929 IN VEN TOR: George]? Miller WITNESSES A TTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 4, 1931 PATENT OFFICE GEORGE F. MILLER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEIV JERSEY LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT Application filed November 11, 19.29.

My invention, while relating generally to headlights, has particular reference to locomotive headlights and has for its object the provision of means to reduce failures of lamps in locomotive headlights.

Headlights are customarily mounted on locomotives at a considerable height above the wheel axes, and are therefore subject to severe vibration and shock incident to side 19 sway of the locomotive. The inertia ofa headlight under side sway of the locomotive is necessarily proportional to the square of the distance of the headlight from the axis about which it is swinging, and accordingly,

especially in a headlightmounted above the locomotive boiler, lamp failures due to breaking of the filament or filament supports are a common occurrence. My invention aims to minimize or prevent failures from this cause by mounting the lamp focusing device of a locomotive headlight upon spring-influenced supporting arms which serve to absorb the shocks to which the surrounding casing is subjected. Vhile I am aware that spring 5 supported lamps have been used on various types of vehicles, the headlight of my invention is particularly adapted to the unusual conditions to which locomotive headlights are subject and is designed to effect certain advantages which are hereinafter more particularly described.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated an embodiment of my invention as adapted to a standard form of headlight for locomotives. Of the drawings:

Fig. I is a side elevation, partly in section of a locomotive headlight embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a rear elevation of the same.

Fig. III is a detailed view of a supportlng I arm for holding the lamp focusing device.

Fig. IV is an edge view of the same.

Fig. V is a detailed view of an alternate form of supporting arm; and

Fig. VI is an edge view of the same.

With particular reference to Fig. I, I have shown a standard form of headlight casing 1 and reflector Q. Mounted centrally of the reflector 2 is a lamp focusing device 3 of a type now in common use and forming no Serial No. 406,134.

part of this invention. T he focusing device 3 includes an adjusting nut l; for regulating the same and a socket 5 for holding a lamp 6. Wires 7 lead from a generator to the lamp socket 5, furnishing the lighting current.

The reflector 2 is rigidly attached to the casing 1 and is provided with an opening 8 of suficient size to accommodate the base of the lamp 6, which is supported independently of the reflector 2, and to allow considerable movement of the lamp 6 without its striking the edge of the reflector at the opening 8. The permissible movement of the lamp 6, however, is not so large as to interfere with the focusing or proper operation of the headlight.

To support the focusing device 3 together with the lamp socket 5 centrally within the casing 1, I preferably employ four radial arms 9 spaced at forty-five degrees from the vertical axis of the headlight as shown in Fig. II. The arms 9 in their preferred form are attached to the focusing device 3 at their inner ends and are forked at their outer ends to engage compression springs 10that is to say, the tines ll of the forks are bent to form a socket to accommodate a helical spring 10. The opposite ends of the springs 10 are engaged in a similar manner by forked studs 12 provided with threads 13 and rigidly attached to the headlight casing 1 by means of nuts 15 and 16. The tines 11 and 1% of the forked members 9 and 12 are preferably bent with pressure entirely around the compression springs 10 to insure a firm connection.

In Figs. V and VI there is shown an nate form of supporting arm 9 comprising two pieces held together by rivets i7 and bent with respect to each other to form a forked end. The part-'2 are similar in function to those illustrated in Figs. III and IV and are correspondingly referenced.

The arms 9 are so situated that the shocks to which the headlight casing l is subjected incident to side sway'of the locon'iotivc and which normally tend to rock the focusing h vice 3 together with the lamps (S are ah-orlzed by the springs 10 to such an extent that lamps of headlights embodying my invention do not I l allelfail through breaking of their filaments, but retain their normal life, whereas heretofore with older forms of headlights, lamp failures have been a very frequent occurrence and a source of constant trouble.

It Will be observed that the particular method, which has been described, of mounting the focusing device 3 upon radial arms and compression springs permits the selection of springs of the proper size and resistance to compensate for the side shock-sof the headlight casing, and, furthermore that the springs 10 are so attached to the arms 9 that there is no danger of fracture by reason of constant expansion and contraction of the springs.

The supporting of the focusing device 3, which includes the lamp socket 5, in the manner shown, not only accomplishes the desired effect with respect to relieving the lamp of shock, but also enables the llIEOGllllGfl'biOH of standard forms of head-lights toembody my invention with only asmal-l number of addi- .tional parts and without change in the casing or the reflector or the focusing apparatus.

'l/Vhile I have described in somedetail a special form of head-light embodying my in vention, it will be readily understood to these skilled in the art that various changesmay be made in the form of the particular apparatus shown without departing from the spirit of the invention as set fonth in the ap pended claims. v

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A headlight for locomotives comprising a casing, a reflector rigidly attached :to said casing, said reflector having a central opening, a lamp socket supported independently of said reflector Withinsaidopening with capacity for limited transverse movement without striking said reflector, radial arms for supporting said lamp socket within said casing centrally of said reflector, said arms being arranged in pairs of opposed units and springs connecting said arms with said casing and tending to draw said arms towards the casing.

2. In a headlightcomprising a casing, a re- 7 fiector within said casing, and a lamp socket supported independently of said reflector; arms radially disposed with respect to said lamp socket and supporting the same centrally of said reflector, and springs under initial compression engaged by said arms and attached to the casing, said springs being adaptedto be further compressed by movement of said arms away from said casing.

3. In a headlight comprising a casing, a reflector within said casing, and a lamp socket supported independently of said reflector, forked arms radially disposed with respect to said lamp socket and supporting the same centrally of the reflector, forked studs attached to said casing, and compress on springs adapted-to be engaged and held within the tines of said forked arms and studs.

l. Ina headlight comprising a casing, a reflector Within said casing, and a lamp socket supported independently of said reflector; arms radially disposed with respect to said lamp socket and supporting the same centrally of. said reflector, said arms having forked ends, forked studs attached to said casing, and compression springs guided by :the for'ks of said arms and studs and engaging the tines of said forks, said springs tending to draw said arms towards the casing.

5. In a headlight comprising a casing, a reflector Within saidcasing, anda lampsocket supported independently of said reflector; arms radially disposed with respect to said lam-p socket and supporting the same centrally of said reflector, said arms having forked ends,,studs attached to said casing and having forked ,ends fitting within the forked ends of said arms, and compression springs guided by the forks of said-arms and studs and engaging the tines of said forks, said springs tending to draw said arms towards the casing.

In testimony whereof,- I have hereunto signed my name at Jersey City, New Jersey, this 7 day of November, 1929.

I )GEORGEF. MILLER.

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